22 Must-See Movies Coming Fall 2013

The original Korean version of Oldboy is a fantastic and disturbing thriller, so it’s hard to imagine a situation where this American remake – directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson – could be better. Still, I’m morbidly curious, and you should be, too.

This anticipated horror movie has sat on the shelf for over five years due to studio bankruptcies and other business issues, but the Amber Heard slasher film finally makes its way to theaters this October. Worth the wait? Probably not, but you never know.

A movie with Oscar awards written all over it, Matthew McConaughey stars as an HIV-infected man who decides to start selling non-FDA approved drug treatments to people who otherwise have no chance at survival. McConaughey and Jared Leto, who plays a transvestite, seem like a lock for nominations based on the trailer alone.

There was a time not so long ago when Ender’s Game – the long gestating movie based on my favorite book of all time – would have been in the #1 spot of this list. That was before Gavin Hood (director of the awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine) was given control. The trailers have been less than enthralling, emphasizing special effects and explosions over what makes the story so profound, but I’m still holding out hope for something special. Or at least entertaining.

Chris Hemsworth returns to his signature role and is reunited with on-screen girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in this follow-up to the surprisingly entertaining Thor (and The Avengers. Director Alan Taylor hasn’t done a lot of movies, but his pedigree includes multiple episodes of Game of Thrones, Mad Men and The Sopranos. Those have to count for something.